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Russians drink lots, quickly, in what could be described as a heroic fashion. Their attitudes to their own alcohol consumption are both blithe and fatalistic, epitomised by the popular saying: “If you don’t drink or smoke, you’ll die healthy.” To foreigners, drinking in Russia resembles an intricate method of suicide, a feat of self-destruction.

On March 11 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev was elected general secretary of the Communist Party and initiated an anti-alcohol drive. He issued a directive, On Measures To Overcome Drinking, Alcoholism...